Tag Archives: Southern Point

We wanted to share a story we read earlier this year but never found time to write about, “Preppy Look Has A Southern Feel” from the Rocky Mount Telegram. The North Carolina newspaper makes an interesting observation:

….since 2005, at least seven of these companies, each with the word “Southern” in its name, has emerged to offer a classic alternative to what has, until recently, been a Northern monopoly on the preppy look. First came Southern Proper, then Southern Tide; next were Southern Marsh and Southern Point Co; and in the past 18 months, Southern Frattire, Southern Dignity and Southern Ties have begun peddling their own Dixie-inspired apparel. The new image has enjoyed a welcome worthy of the term “Southern Hospitality.”

Southern Proper is based on men’s décor and dress, and each bowtie (Beaus™) and necktie (Gents™) is adorned with hand-drawn designs, made of superior king twill silk. The neckties are even hand drawn in the South.

Adding a Southern flair to the preppy image, these new labels have replaced polo-players and crocodiles with skipjack tunas and bird dogs. Their colorful neckwear, gingham button-downs, polo-shirts, and beer cozies feature hunting and fishing imagery, as well as more standard preppy nautical themes.

Southern Tide of Greenville, S.C., gained recognition last year from Forbes and Inc. magazines as one of the country’s most up-and-coming businesses. According to Inc., Southern Tide is the nation’s fastest-growing apparel company.

Not to be confused with Southern Tide, Southern Ties is another brand referenced. This smaller company was actually started by two young men still in their teens, one now a freshman at Hampden-Sydney, the other at Sewanee. The seersucker ties look more-than-nifty.

Known for its unique culture, beautiful people, and timeless dress – The South is an area of the country that still finds time to escape the hustle and bustle of big city life. Southern Marsh was inspired by that idea and influenced by those who understand the lifestyle as they take it with them everywhere they go.

Southern Marsh

Like others, Southern Marsh has grown its product line, adding items like shorts and game day shirts.

Southern Dignity captures this complexity by producing clothing consistent with the southern perspective and the styles that accompany it. We specialize in the qualities that define our culture, and cater to the men & women that exemplify it.

The firm was founded by a young man who knows his target audience, it was started by a 21-year-old Eastern Tennessee State student. Southern Frattire currently offers Pocket Tees and Koozies on its website.

Whether in the field or tailgating before the game, men of the South are always well dressed. With that in mind, we decided it was time for a line of clothing designed specifically for the lifestyle of the Southern Fraternity Gentleman.

Madison Wickham, co-founder of TotalFratMove.com, a website on which some of the brands advertise, says a classic look is important to the their success.

“I think these brands are popular among our audience because they represent a vibe and lifestyle that our demographic is either a part of or aspires to be a part of,” said Wickham. “Most of these brands offer traditional conservative clothing styles and are a refreshing change from the ‘GQ’ ultra-trendy styles you will find among most mainstream brands.”

There are plenty of reasons cited for the explosion in “southern prep” brands.

Company executives, marketing experts, and observers offer a variety of explanations for the clothing craze including top-notch quality, brand relatability, and recognition. But most underscore the same idea: the South and pride in its culture have achieved a newfound panache.

Much more importantly, out thoughts today are for everyone coping with this:

National Hurricane Center/NOAA

That image from NOAA shows Tropical Storm Isaac, expected to officially be Hurricane Isaac by tonight or tomorrow morning. (It may well be a Hurricane by the time I hit the ‘publish’ button.)

Issac is expected to be a Category 1 or Category 2 storm when it makes landfall. While no one expects damage of the catastrophic proportions following Katrina, the impact can still be extremely serious. More from the Washington Post:

“A large, slow-moving system is going to pose a lot of problems — winds, flooding, storm surge and even potentially down the road river flooding,” said Richard Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “That could happen for days after the event.”

Today we share a story from last fall about logos on polo shirts, obviously it is a topic we have nattered on about relentlessly occasionally mentioned in this space. More from Charleston’s Gazette-Mail:

“Polo shirt” has become a standard name — like “T-shirt” or “khakis” — to describe a knit shirt.

But after recent visits to my college-age children in Alabama and Virginia, I’ve learned there’s a zoo full of animals adorning the chests of students on campuses throughout the South.

Part of the article examines the broad (growing ever-broader) variety of logos now adorning the ubiquitous shirts. The story is illustrated with this graphic, showing just some of the many icons now besmirching seen on the shirts. (In reality, some of the icons are pretty darn cute. I still prefer mine sans logo, but that fish is darling.)

W. Virginia Gazette-Mail

For those not familiar with each and every logo shown in the illustration, here is a quick rundown, beginning with Psycho Bunny (a Consort fave)…

The writer, Sara Busse, brings up a little family history in the article.

My dad, far from preppy and not a golfer or a tennis player, wore the little penguin shirts (by Munsingwear) around the house on Saturdays. Now Brad Pitt wears them. Dad was cool. Go figure.

Here is a 1970s era shirt like the one Ms. Busse describes.

Vendetta Vintage

But back to the present.

Look for Southern Proper’s Labrador retriever, or Southern Point’s German shorthaired pointer. These will set you back $75 or so. If you like bigger dogs, Southern Dignity is set to launch a Great Dane-embroidered shirt just in time for Christmas.

We did not see a Great Dane on Southern Dignity’s site, perhaps we overlooked it. (Who knew so many brands started with the word Southern?!)

We were familiar with most of the brands discussed in that graphic up above, but always enjoy learning about new companies. Here is a name that was new to us, Mahi Gold, offering styles ideal for wearing “from the boat to the beach to the deck to the bar.” Below, the Seaview Shift in both aqua and pink, the Claire dress, and on the far right, the Coastline Dress.

Mahi Gold

The company was started by brother and sister Michael and Becky Gorman, we like knowing the collection is Made in the USA. Another plus – everything is crafted of soft (but durable) organic cotton with a touch of Lycra for stretch (and comfort). They even have dresses available for your little one, below we show the Seaview Shift Dress for Girls and Toddlers.

Mahi Gold

To see a list of stores where you can buy Mahi Gold products, click here.

Because the much-buzzed-about collection is only being carried in ‘select stores,’ Targét has even created a a Facebook page listing stores by zip code that will carry the line.

Jason Wu for Target

Target’s online photos are delightful.

Jason Wu for Target

Last week the company celebrated with a big do, below we see Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively and Chloe Moretz in pieces from the line.

Getty Images for Target via The Daily Mail

There are reports pieces from the collection are already on eBay. We aren’t even going to look, and hope to find a little something when the line is for sale this Sunday. (For a peek at our post showing most of the collection, click here.)